


Crystalline

by Cottonee



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Canon Compliant, Gen, M/M, Magical Realism, Mentioned dog death (Vicchan), POV Katsuki Yuuri, Pre-Canon, Pre-Relationship, implied romantic feelings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-08
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-04-18 05:23:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14206005
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Cottonee/pseuds/Cottonee
Summary: Yuuri no longer has a coach, nor a place in international competitions, nor a future in figure skating. Yuuri has a bag full of sad crystals and too much free time.





	Crystalline

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the LLYBB's second Bing. (:
> 
> Prompt: Magical realism.
> 
> Don't forget to check out the [beautiful art](https://jadeydoodles.tumblr.com/post/172738449847/liveloveyoibang-mini-bing-2-based-on-2-fics-by) by [Jadey-Doodles](https://jadeydoodles.tumblr.com), and [Viktor's POV](https://archiveofourown.org/works/14257128), written by [Ceta](https://ceta-fics.tumblr.com/). ♡
> 
> **In this AU, crystals appear out of nowhere to show how a person feels.**
> 
> **UPDATE (10/23/18):** This is still unbeta'ed but I fixed some (a lot) of mistakes, so hopefully the flow/grammar is better now. :)
> 
> Hope you like it! (:

Yuuri wakes up suffering from a terrible headache, feeling cold, and clutching a crystal in his hand. He feels too tired to be awake, but he still opens his eyes just to close them immediately, the bright light of the room increases his discomfort.

Not bothering to sit up, Yuuri fumbles to find his glasses, moving his hands all over the comforter, trying to locate the bedside table with no success. He sighs, moving to get into a seating position, almost falling back to the bed when a rush of nausea overcomes him.

Yuuri takes a couple of minutes to adjust to the position. He notices his disheveled clothes and he silently promises to never get drunk again.

Yuuri cannot remember what happened after the tenth flute of champagne, his memories are blurry and trying to remember would make his headache even more unbearable. Hopefully, he did not make a fool out of himself.

Yuuri is _almost_ afraid to open his hand and look at the crystal: most likely, it is grayish blue, dull violet or plain gray; like all the crystals that have been appearing next to him since he received a call from his sister to tell him that Vicchan had died.

It is definitely a surprise when Yuuri builds up the courage to look at his palm and he finds a pretty crystal on it—yellow and pink, with dashes of sky blue and bright violet.

The crystal is not very big, barely as tall as his thumb; its sharp edges had left little and painful indentations on his palm, but Yuuri is too awestruck to care about that because it is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful crystals he has ever seen, and it is _his_.

Yuuri snaps out of his reverie when he hears his phone chiming somewhere in the room. He looks for it, but he is too hungover to find it in time to answer the call.

He does not have time to feel guilty when he notices ten missed calls from Celestino and his family, jumping out of bed when he gets aware of how late it really is. Yuuri regrets his bad life decisions when the room starts to spin and he falls, unable to keep his balance. At the very least, he is able to spot his glasses under the bed from where he lies on the floor.

The task of getting ready is _too much_ for hungover Yuuri. He gives up after a couple of painful minutes and he ends up shoving his belongings into his luggage messily. He feels thankful for having packed his skating gear and his expensive costumes as soon as the competition was over; but he also feels bad for not packing his suit properly, even though it is already wrinkled and smelling of alcohol.

It is a miracle when Yuuri is ready to leave for the airport still on time.

Yuuri moves his luggage to the door and just before he leaves the room, he takes the pretty crystal he placed on the bedside table. He looks at it one last time before he lets it fall into his crystals’ pouch. The newest addition looks too bright surrounded by dull crystals, and Yuuri tries not to think about it during his long flight back to Detroit.

**◊ ◊ ◊**

Yuuri only gets more confused as he unpacks his luggage after arriving in Detroit. He finds a myriad of small colorful crystals in his pocket—their colors ranging from bright yellow and orange, to blue, green, and _even pink_.

He thinks it is some kind of mistake, but touching the crystals is enough to let him know that there is no mistake: the crystals belong to him.

**◊ ◊ ◊**

Japanese Nationals are a disaster.

Yuuri is not focused enough, he is anxious, and his thoughts are racing when he steps into the ice. His skating reflects his feelings—he cannot bring himself to skate in time with the music, he fails his jumps and falls all the way down to eleventh place. The worst result of his senior career.

Yuuri does not even have the courage to look at the camera during the kiss and cry.

A couple of reporters ask him questions afterward, and Yuuri gives monosyllabic answers to them, feeling too overwhelmed to think of longer phrases. Luckily, the reporters do not question him for long, moving to surround the new National Champion.

The media does not care about losers, not when the winners are far more charming and willing to answer all the questions about the competition.

Yuuri finds himself walking to a less crowded area, sliding down the wall until he is sitting on the floor. Dull purple crystals, sharp and little, fall to the ground as he reads various articles about his depressing performance.

`“Katsuki Yuuri’s bad streak continues: was it the worst performance of his career?”`

`“Is Japan’s Top Skater injured?”`

`“Yuuri Katsuki is rumored to retire after a catastrophic competition.”`

`“Katsuki keeps falling, will he ever get up?”`

Yuuri sighs, wiping the tears away with his sleeve. He picks up his disappointing crystals quickly, hoping that no one else has seen them and puts them into his pockets.

Later that night, when he is alone in his hotel room, Yuuri drops the newest crystals into his pouch—which is almost full to the brim—taking a few of them in his hand as he stares at the different colors, shapes, and sizes.

Yuuri really likes the crystals he found inside his suit’s pockets, but his favorite one is definitely the crystal he was clutching in his hand after the banquet. Yuuri tries to not think too much about its origin, after all, it is pointless to delve into memories he does not have.

**◊ ◊ ◊**

Yuuri boards his plane back to Detroit, ignoring the sinking feeling in his chest. He did not have the courage to visit his family once again and his pockets feel too heavy, not only because of the crystals he carries in them.

**◊ ◊ ◊**

_“That was a beautiful quadruple Flip!”_

_“Well, it's Viktor Nikiforov, and we can't expect something not amazing from the best!”_

_“That’s true, if this season is truly his last, he is making sure to go out with a bang.”_

Yuuri ignores what the sports commentators say afterward, focusing only on Viktor and his elegant movements.

Viktor always goes into the ice ready to give the performance of his life and impress his fans, along with anyone else who might be watching. Yuuri has watched Viktor’s free program countless of times, know it now by heart, but when Viktor skates he cannot focus on something else.

Phichit is sitting next to Yuuri, holding the bowl of popcorn and cheering more than usual. Yuuri knows his friend is trying to lift his sinking mood, so he smiles a little in an attempt to not look completely defeated.

On the screen, Viktor lands a quadruple Salchow perfectly, and Yuuri feels like sobbing, not sure of the reason why aside from the beauty of Viktor’s movements and the raw emotions painted on his face during the step sequence.

Phichit smiles and takes a selfie with one of his hamsters on his shoulder, holding the popcorn bowl close to his chest.

“Hashtag, European Championships!” Phichit exclaims and posts the picture.

A small yellow crystal falls to the floor and Phichit moves to retrieve it.

“Look!” Phichit says, showing Yuuri the crystal. “This one is nice.”

Unlike Yuuri, Phichit does not care if someone else sees his crystals, but then again, Phichit’s crystals are bright and pretty most of the time, not perfectly shaped but definitely unique… unlike Yuuri’s.

Viktor defends his title as the European Champion and Phichit _tweets_ his reactions to the podium.

Yuuri watches as Viktor picks up a crystal after he leaves the ice—with a new gold medal hanging off his neck and a Russian flag draped over his back—and for a second it seems like the crystal is dark blue, instead of the usually light-colored crystals he has seen around Viktor.

Viktor hides the crystal, the cameras focus on Chris Giacometti, and the moment passes. But Yuuri still thinks about it later that night, when he lies on his bed and toys with his favorite crystal, admiring all its edges and colors.

**◊ ◊ ◊**

Yuuri graduates and crystals spring out of the ground with every step he takes as too many emotions trouble his mind: especially the uncertainty of not knowing what to do next.

Hastily, he picks all the crystals up—not noticing all their different colors, before he shoves them into his pockets.

**◊ ◊ ◊**

Yuuri likes the sound of the blades sliding across the ice. It is a familiar sound, one that he has been hearing since he was a kid—one that gives him comfort in a special way.

Yuuri no longer has a coach, nor a place in international competitions, nor a future in figure skating. Yuuri has a bag full of sad crystals and too much free time.

He spends that free time skating when he has the chance to be alone at the ice rink after everyone retires for the night and the ice is completely free. The rink is badly lit and it is dangerous to skate on it, but it works to calm his nerves if only a little.

Yuuri no longer has to practice his programs. Unsurprisingly, he was not chosen to compete at the Four Continents, much less at the World Championship. Yuuri is not even sure if he should spend his time trying to figure out what he wants to skate for the next season, so he just skates whatever that comes to his mind.

Most of the time, Yuuri traces compulsory figures on the ice, follows the choreography of his programs or just skates plain laps around the rink. But when he is feeling particularly frustrated, Yuuri chooses to skate Viktor’s old programs instead.

Skating his idol’s programs makes Yuuri feel nostalgic but also happy. It is like going home, reminiscing the old days at Ice Castle; back when he used to have fun with Yuuko and he did not have to worry about his crumbling career.

One night, he moves around the rink, finding himself at _Stammi vicino_ ’s starting pose. His body moves on its own accord—he does not need the music to follow the choreography, not after he watched it again and again, since Viktor skated it for the first time.

Yuuri cannot skate Viktor’s program perfectly. He changes the quadruple jumps for triples and doubles, he touches the ice a couple of times, and he definitely lacks his idol’s charm, but for a first impromptu try, it is good.

Yuuri wraps his arms around himself, hearing the clink of a single crystal hitting the ice surface. He bends down to pick it up: it is bright yellow with a dash of pink, and Yuuri tumbles down to his knees, sobbing.

**◊ ◊ ◊**

“You have to call me as soon as you get to Japan,” Phichit says, hugging Yuuri for a moment.

“Sure,” Yuuri promises.

Phichit seems satisfied with his answer and he moves to hug Yuuri again, pressing something into his palm. Yuuri gasps when he opens his hand and finds a soft orange crystal on his palm.

Holding it makes him feel warm and content, like watching a sunset after a long, nice day. Phichit has given him one of his crystals, and Yuuri feels tears picking at his eyes because of the intimate gesture.

“Go, you'll miss your flight,” Phichit urges him, and Yuuri does as he is told, waving and trying to keep his tears at bay.

**◊ ◊ ◊**

Being back in Hasetsu after years of not visiting his hometown is too overwhelming. He is nervous about seeing his family again and the idea of sitting down to watch the World Championship after not being selected to compete, is too discouraging.

Yuuri needs a distraction, something to bring him comfort aside from his family and his childhood home, and he knows that the ice is always the thing he is looking for.

He skates, he feels a rush of emotions, and he picks the crystals up afterward. Yuuko is the first person to see him skating Viktor’s program, but she is far from being the only one.

Not long after, a viral video changes everything, and one day Yuuri wakes up to find snow piling up outside his window, something extraordinary in April. The surprises continue when a familiar-looking dog knocks him down and his father speaks of a handsome foreigner.

Yuuri’s heart thunders inside his chest as he dashes to the outdoor pool and it is not only because of the physical exertion.

“Viktor…” Yuuri gasps, barely paying attention to the tiny crystals that suddenly litter the ground around him.

Viktor looks at him and Yuuri thinks of the beautiful crystal he keeps safe inside a pouch, because Viktor’s eyes are _so_ _blue_ in person and he recognizes that same shade of sky blue from the dashes of color on the crystal surface.

“Yuuri,” Viktor starts, standing up, unbothered by his _very_ obvious state of _nakedness_. “Starting today, I’m your coach.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading. ♡ :)
> 
> Comments are greatly appreciated! ٩( ᐛ )۶
> 
> [Twitter](https://twitter.com/commeunjardin) & [Tumblr](http://v-katsuki.tumblr.com).


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